Orthopedic brace



A. .J. PIETERICK ORTHOPEDIC BRACE July 25, 1950 2 Sheeta' Sheet 1 FIG. 2.

Filed Feb. 14, 1947 FIG. I.

INVENTOR ADRIAN J. PIETERIGK ATTORNEYS A. J. PIETERECK ORTHOPEDIC BRACE July 25, 1950 2 sheets shee't 2 Filed Feb. 14, 1847 FIG. 8.

FIG. 7.

FIG. 3.

FIG. IO.

FIG. 5.

INVENTOR ADRIAN 'J. PIETERIGK ATTORNEYS Patented july 25, 195

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to an orthopedic brace, and more particularly to an orthopedic brace for use on a patient who has little or no effective control of one of the major joints of the leg.

In the case of paralysis or injury to a leg which produces loss of proper control of the hip, knee or ankle, for example, it frequently is desirable for the wearer of an orthopedic appliance designed to help correct the condition to be able to lock the joint of the orthopedic appliance which corresponds to the leg joint with which it is associated, and thus permit the wearer of the device to stand relatively at ease, and where some muscular control is retained, to walk without being concerned about the possibility of loss of control of the joint.

Some efforts have been made to provide a releasable lock for orthopedic braces of this character, but many of such devices have been of a nature which are diflicult to operate and which would be apt to catch and tear or shear the wearers clothing, or to pinch and cut his flesh.

An object of the present invention is to make an improved and simplified orthopedic appliance.

Another object i to make a, leg brace having an improved releasable locking joint.

Another object is to make a leg brace having a releasable locking joint with the locking parts thereof arranged to minimize danger of catching on the wearers clothing or flesh.

Another object is to make a leg brace having a releasable locking joint with inconspicuous remote control means which may be operated by a wearer from a normal standing or sitting position.

Another object is to make a leg brace having an upper leg portion adapted to embrace opposite sides of the upper leg of a wearer, a lower leg portion thereof having bifurcated upper ends adapted to embrace opposite sides of a wearers knee joint, the bifurcations being curved and jointed into a single lower leg portion, with an offset ankle joint portion formed on the lower end of said single lower leg portion.

There is provided in accordance with one feature of the invention, a pair of upper leg brace portions with means for securing them to opposite sides of a wearers leg, the lower ends of these side portions being formed to connect with a pair of side elements of a lower leg brace portion by means of an articulated joint. The articulated joint has a notched portion with a releasable locking cam arranged for movement into and-out of locking position relatively thereto. a

locking element being connected to an operative lever flush mounted adjacent the upper end of the device. The articulated lower leg portion has a, bifurcated upper end portion terminating in the articulated joints, and having a lower portion thereof offset rearwardly to lie behind the wearers calf, the lower end of the lower portion being curved around to lie adjacent a side of a wearers ankle where it is connected pivotally to a footpiece.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth more fully in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, of which there are two sheets. In the drawings:

I Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a leg brace embodying the present invention in connection with an articulated knee joint thereof;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 1, a lower leg brace portion thereof being broken away to reduce the height of the drawing;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the articulated knee joint portions of the brace, the parts of the brace being shown in knee-straight, locked position in solid lines, and in knee-bent, unlocked position in dot-dash lines;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of the upper end portion of a bifurcated side member of a lower leg brace;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of a locking lug;

Fig. 6 is a similar view of the lower end portion ofone of the upper leg side brace members;

Fig. '7 is a side elevational View of a flush mounted lock-releasing lever;

Fig. 8 is an edgeelevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 7, the parts bein shown in solid lines in normal locking position, and in dotdash lines in lock-releasing position;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fi 7;

Fig. 10 is'a view in perspective of a slide block incorporated in the releasing mechanism shown in Figs. 7 and 8; and

Fig. 11 is a similar view of a side link which forms a connection between the releasing lever and the slide block.

Referring to the details of the structural embodiment illustrated, a pair of upper side brace members l0 and II may be of steel, and are secured together by curved connecting bands l2 and I3 which are adapted to pass around the rear of a wearers leg to hold the brace against forward displacement. Usual padded leather cushions 14 and I are provided over these connectin bands, and a leather retaining strap I! is mounted as a continuation of the leather cushion over the upper connectin band 12. A metal loop i8 is formed to project forwardly from the front edge of each of the upper side brace members near the lower ends thereof, these loops being adapted to receive an upper knee retaining strap IS.

The lower end of each of the upper side brace members is formed, as shown in Fig. 6, with a rearward curved extension thereof having a hole 21 therein adapted to receive a pivot .pin,22.

A locking lug 23, shown in detail in Fig. 5, has a rectangular opening 24 therein for slidable mounting on each of the upper .side brace memhere it and H. The lug 23has a rearwardly extending portion 25 with a pin 27 securedthereto to extend vertically upward therefrom. The upper end of the pin El is retained slidably in a guide 28 which is secured to extend rearwardly from each of the side brace members.

The pin 2'! has clevis connection with a cable connector 29. swaged onto the end of a flexible wire cable to be described later herein. A coil spring 3| is held in compression between each locking lug 23 and its guide 28, normally to urge the locking lug downwardly to its fullest limit of downward movement.

A lock-releasing lever 32 is mounted pivotally at its upper end between a pair of lugs 33 and 34.

A box enclosure 35 is formed on the outer side of the upper outer brace member l8 below the pivotal mounting for the lever, the enclosure being of a size to receive a block 3'! for slidable movement therein. The slide block 3? has a transverse hole 38 therethrough to receive inwardly projecting pins 39 (see Fig. 11) of a pair of operating links 46 and H (see Figs. 7, 8 and 11). The upper ends of the links are connected pivotally by screws 32 and 23 to the lever 32.

The sidewalls of the box enclosure 35 have slotted openings id to permit limited movement of the link pins 39 therein. When the lock-releasing lever 32 is swung upwardly to the dotdash line position illustrated in Fig. 8, the slide block 3'! will be moved upwardlywithin the box enclosure 35.

An opening is provided in the slide block 3?, and a pair of notches 15a and d5?) are provided in a face of the block extending from the lower end thereof into the opening '45. These notches are adapted to receive control cables 47 and -48 having enlarged head portions 49, the head portions beinginserted in the opening 45. Coiled wire sheaths 5i! and 5! are mounted to receive thecontrol cables t? and -68 therein. The cable t! is connected from the slide block 31 to the outerjoint locking pin 2?, the enclosing sheath 5?: thereof being secured by clamps 52 and 53 screwed to the side brace member It in a position so as to be partially covered by the leather pad l5 covering the .lower connecting band 53.

The other cable E8 and its sheath 5! extends initially parallel to the cable 47 and is secured in place by the upper cable clamp 52. From here the cable 43 and its sheath 5i are carried. around the outside of the connecting band 13 to the inner side of the brace, where the sheath 5! is clamped to the inner upper brace member .H by a cable clamp 55. This other cable 48 is connected to a pin, similar to the pin 2'! in the outer locking lug The cable connector in turn is '23. The lock-releasing lever 32 preferably is prfh vided with a laterally offset extension 55 (see Figs. 1, 7 and 9) to facilitate grasping the handle by the wearer through his clothing.

It is understood, of course, that this brace may be worn beneath the trousers or skirt of the wearer, and this arrangement of the lever permits the wearer to manipulate it by grasping the clothing over the lever and then pulling the lever outwardly, carrying the clothing with it, to the limited extent necessary to release the locking lugs 23.

IA lower leg brace member, as illustrated, has a bifurcated upper end portion with side portions 5? and 58 adapted to lie on opposite sides of the wearers knee and to be connected pivotally to the upper brace side members [0 and H respectively. The upper end of each of these side portions is divided by a vertical slot 59 adapted to receive the lower end of an upper side brace member 18 or .H therein, (seeFig. 4) and the rearwardsides-oi these upper end portions are curved, asat 58, to enclose the curved extension 2!] on the lower ends of the upper side brace members therein.

The upper end of each of thebifurcated side members 5? and 58 is notched out, as at 6! and 62, to a depth approximately equal to the height of the locking lugs .23. Each of the two side portions .57 and v5ft has a hole 63 therein to receive the pivot pin .22. This hole preferably has a bushing .64 of suitable bearing material, such as brass, inserted therein. The pivot pin holes are adapted .to align with the holes 2| in the lower ends of the associated upper side members'lfi and 41 (see-Fig. 6). When so aligned the lower end of the associated upper side member is. adapted to engage the bottom of its slot when the brace members are in the full upright or standing position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, so as to permit only rearward bending of the knee joint.

The rear faces 13 of the notches El and :62 preferably are made with a, slightly rearward slope, and .the rear face 14 of the locking lug 23 also preferably .is constructed with a similar slope. The .locking lug then may be adjusted so that when the parts are in theirfully extended locked position, asshown in Figs. 1 and 3, the bottom face of the locking lug will be held with a slight clearance from the horizontal upper faces it of the notches .61 and 62 by the engagement of the sloping rear faces 14 of the locking lug and itsassociated notches. This insures that when the locking lug is at its full limit of downward movement in the notches 6i and 82, under the action of the coil spring 3|, the parts will be in atightly locked position without looseness or wobble movement, and also allows for some wear of-the-parts without loosening.

The bifurcated upper .ends of the lower leg brace member are curved rearwardly and toward each other to pass around the rear of a wearers calf, and there arejoined into asingle vertical member 65. The lowerend of this vertical member is curved, preferably toward the inner side of the wearers foot, as at E1, and then downwardly, being pivotally connected at its lower end by a pin 68 to a. metal heel piece 69. This heel piece may be elevated, as illustratedin Fig. .1, where the leg to which the brace is fitted-is slightly shorter than the other leg, although the height of this heel piece is of course optional with the brace manufacturer.

A leather-foot retainer .10 .is secured to the heel eleases, and the entire foot worn inside of an ordinary low shoe.

assembly may be This lower leg brace is much less conspicuous -than previous structures, in which lower leg side pieces are carried down and secured to opposite is connected to a knee retaining pad 12. wearers foot is strapped in place by means of the leather foot retainer 70. The upper retaining strap I! then is drawn up to draw the bands l2 land 13 into proper position against the rear of time wearers thigh, and the knee straps l9 and 1| .are secured in place to draw the brace to a suit .able degree of tightness against the wearers leg.

: When the wearer straightens his leg to a fully extended position, the locking lug 23 will be moved down into locking position by the coil spring 3|,

thus locking the leg in straightened position for walking and standing. When the wearer desires to sit or bend the leg, he reaches down and grasps the laterally offset lower end portion 55 of the lock releasing lever 32 through his clothing, and pulls it outwardly sufficiently to raise the locking lugs "23 on both sides of the brace upwardly out of the notches 6i and $2. The leg then may be bent and when thus bent the locking lugs will ride on the curved rear surfaces 68 f the lower leg 'mem'ber', which act as cams to hold the locking lugs in raised releasing position.

When the leg again is straightened, the locking lug will be snapped back into locking position by the action of the spring 3i. A valuable feature inherent in the present construction lies in the fact that the lock release is so constructed that it can be operated by a wearer while supporting his weight, as by crutches, and then can use the crutches or other support to lower himself to a seated position.

Extended tests of the brace indicate that there is no possibility that the wearers clothing or flesh can be pinched or caught by the locking device, since the lockin lug never is raised to have substantial clearance from its associated parts, and the parts when released are in sliding contact with each other so that there is no space between them for clothing or flesh to be caught. The same is true of the lock-releasing lever 32, since there are no exposed parts which are apt to pinch or cut the wearer or his clothing.

The drawings and above description relate to the invention as applied to the knee joint of a brace. However, as previously mentioned, the invention also can be applied to the hip and ankle joints of a brace. It is believed that such application would be obvious to an experienced brace maker or designer. However, since the application of the invention as applied to a hip joint is particularly effective, it is desired to point out that when so applied the structure will be substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In such case, however, the numeral i0 would designate a part of the back-brace instead of an upper leg brace portion, and the numeral 51 then would designate an upper legbrace portion. In such case, the release lever may be mounted close to the joint and connected to the locking pin 21 by a short connector of suitable length.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those familiar with the art that some changes are possible without departing from the spirit. ofv the invention;

in is desired, therefore,

not to limit the invention except as set forthgin the following claims:v .7

I'claimz I 1. A releasable locking joint. structure for an orthopedie'brace appliance comprising a' pair of upper leg brace members adapted to be mounted on opposite sides of a wearers leg, a pair-of lower pin pivotally connecting the inserted lower ends of the upper leg brace members to said lowerleg brace portions, fastening means adapted to fasten said appliance to a wearers leg, a spring pressed locking lug slidably mounted on each upper. brace member and adapted to fit into the notches inisaid lower leg brace portion when the brace is in the knee-straight condition only, thereby locking the appliance in such condition, a vertically extending rod on each locking lug, a guide on each upper brace member slidably to receive said rod, aspring compressed between each locking lug and its guide normally to urge the lockinglug toward lock-ing position in said notch, said locking lugs being positioned to ride on the cam surfacesrearwardly' of said notches when the locking-lugs are raised to released position and the appliance is in kneebent. condition, a lug releasing lever pivotally mounted on an outer side of an upper brace memher, a laterally projecting extension carriedby 's'aid lever and extending beyond the brace member to facilitate grasping through, a wearers clothing, an elongated enclosed guideway adjacent the pivotal mounting of said lever, a slide block slidably mounted in said guideway, link means operatively connecting the slide block to said lever, and a pair of cables connected to said slide block and connected one to each of said looking lugs to raise said locking lugs out of said notches onto said cams for free pivotal movement of the brace members about said pivot pins, and a flexible housing closely encircling each of said cables and secured to said upper brace members to guide said cables in predetermined paths.

2. A releasable locking joint structure for an orthopedic brace appliance comprising a pair of upper leg brace members adapted to b mounted on opposite sides of a wearers leg, a pair of lower leg brace portions pivotally connected to the lower ends thereof, a substantially circular joint portion mounted to enclose the joint action and to provide a circular cam adjacent said joint, at least one of the circular joint portions having a notch therein, fastening means adapted to fasten said appliance to a wearers leg, a locking lug slidably mounted on each upper brace member and adapted to fit into the notch in said circular joint portion when the brace is in knee-straight condition only, thereby looking the appliance in such condition, a vertically extending rod on each looking lug, a guide on each upper brace member slidably to receive said rod, a spring compressed between each locking lug and its guide normally to urge the locking lug toward locking position in said notch, said locking lugs being positioned to ride on the circular cam adjacent said notch when the locking lug is moved to release position and the appliance is in knee-bent condition, a lug releasing lever pivotally mounted on an outer side of an upper brace member, a laterally projecting if? extension carried by said lever and extending beyond the brace :member to :facilitate grasping through a wearers clothing, :an :elongated enclosed guideway adjacent the pivotal mounting of .zsaidllever, a slide :block slidably mounted in said lguideway, link .means operatively connecting the slide :block to said lever, alpair of cables having countersunk connection to said slide block and connected one to each of said :lockinglugs toraise :saidlocking lugs out of said notches onto said icams for :free :pivotal movement of :the :brace members about said pivot .pins, and a-flexible housing closely encircling each :of-said cables and secured to said upper brace membersito guide said cables in predetermined paths.

:3. A releasable locking joint structure for ;an mrithopedic" brace having an upper leg brace ,pormionzand 'a :lower :leg :"brace portion .pivotally con- ;necteidto each Other, 153.16. joint structure com- ;prising :a bifurcated end on a first of said brace portions adjacentrsaid :joint the outer ends of the "bifurcations thereof :be'ing flat-surfaced, an endwiseiextension. at 'an end of'the fiat end sur- -faceof each biiurcationand'joining said flat sursface latzan angle, the other brace member having an end portion inserted between said bifurcations end having a nose portion adapted to have pendwise :abutting engagement with the first brace portion between the bifurcated end portions to limit pivotal movement in -one direction to 'an aligned condition of the 'brace portions, .a docking' lug slidably mounted on the second braceportion and *having a flat end portion adapted'to overlie the fiat endsof said bifurcations and hav- :manuall-y :controlled :release means mounted to move said lug clear of said .endwise extension to .;free .the .brace. portions for vpivotal movement.

'4. Theyarrangement .set forth .in claim 3, .the

zsidelof thefirstcbrace portion adjacent said :ex-

' ing asurface thereof disposedat an angle to reg- 135 ister withthe angula'rly disposed sur-faceonsaid end-wise extension on the first brace portion to Secure the leg portions in aligned relation and 6. The arrangement set forth in claim 3, the angle between the extensionand the flat-end surfaces of the bifurcations being at a slope initially 'to support the locking lug in spaced relation from 'said flat-end surfaces, thereby to provide for takeupof'wear of said extension and the contacting :area of the locking lug therewith.

ADRIAN J. PIETERICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

